To Fight a Lotus
by PitFTW
Summary: Fighting-type Gym Leader Ludwig Beilschmidt is ready to apply for the exclusive Elite 4. The only test standing in his way now is a battle against the Pokemon League Champion, Lien Nguyen. Said to be the most formidable of all opponents, Ludwig has to make sure that he has everything prepared: his Pokemon, his mind, and... his heart?


To Fight a Lotus

**A/N: A gift fic to a very special RP partner of mine! Nickie, this is for you and all the Photato lovers out there! **

**Summary: Fighting-type Gym Leader Ludwig Beilschmidt is ready to apply for the exclusive Elite 4. The only test standing in his way now is a battle against the Pokemon League Champion, Lien Nguyen. Said to be the most formidable of all opponents, Ludwig has to make sure that he has everything prepared: his Pokemon, his mind, and... his heart? **

**Pairing: GerViet**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! **

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><p>This wasn't happening.<p>

This just wasn't happening.

How could this happen? He had trained so hard, read every manual, watched every video of her battling. From what he had seen, she was a strong contender, the very reason why the Elite 4 was no longer the joke that it had once been, and had deserved every single award she had ever received. Just the fact that she was the Kalos League Champion was not simply enough for her; she was also one of the many Pokemon World Tournament champions, and when she did not emerge at the top, she would be third place, at the very least.

Completely unrelated to the point, but unavoidable nonetheless, she was also considered one of the most beautiful professional trainers in the Pokemon world. There was no denying her grace on the battlefield as she seemed to dance alongside her Pokemon, nor was there any way to deny her strength and resolve when she planted her feet and stood her ground. She was, in many ways, comparable to an ancient story featuring a woman warrior, who stood her ground even as the men around her fled. But such tales of her beauty were often dedicated only to conversations between male trainers, and often turned to much raunchier conversations about her that, at least in his opinion, completely disrespected her beauty and all that she stood for.

So when Ludwig Beilschmidt, Gym Leader and hopeful applicant to the Elite 4, walked into the room that day, he fully expected a battle that would test him to the very limits of his patience and wits. He had expected the famous (and, to a certain boisterous Kanto League Champion, infamously grumpy) Elite 4 Champion to be waiting for him, perhaps sitting on a throne or training her Pokemon, or even just meditating there. Instead, he was met with a sight that both slightly amused and infuriated him.

Lien Nguyen, Kalos League Champion, was sleeping on top of her Snorlax, a bit of drool running down from her mouth as she slept.

She was most definitely different from how she was depicted on television. Said to be only two years older than he, this sleeping form seemed to lack all of the strength and grace of the Lien he would watch as a boy, eagerly following her every move and strategy. She had been only thirteen years old when she took on her fourth Gym Leader, Fairy specialist Arthur Kirkland, and won. What most trainers- even Ludwig himself- had spent five years doing, she had done so in merely three. Lien Nguyen was, in every sense, a Pokemon prodigy and, most likely, a future Pokemon Master.

He cleared his throat, despite knowing that it probably would've been better to just keep letting her sleep. With a small squawk, she opened her eyes and fell right off of Snorlax's stomach, rolling a little so she didn't suffer any injury. Groaning, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and blinked up at him rather cutely, though Ludwig soon squashed any of those sort of thoughts immediately. He was here on business, after all, not... whatever his brain was trying to get him to do.

"Ugh... Did I oversleep again?" she asked, groaning as she covered her eyes. "I guess this is what I get for calling those idiots in Kanto... Just now, someone tried genetically engineering Pokemon abilities into himself. I told him that it was an idiotic idea, but of course he didn't listen, and now there's yet another fire on Cinnabar that I'm going to have to deal with during the next Meeting of Champions-"

"I see..." Ludwig paused, then offered his hand, wishing with everything he had that he could just get this battle- and application process- over with. She smiled a little and took his hand, holding it in a strong yet gentle grip. Her palms were warm and slightly calloused, the mark of an excellent trainer. Despite her less than elegant introduction, it was clear that this woman was one to be respected. Her lithe fingers tightened around his and, for a brief moment, there was a strange thrum of something deep within him that seemed to echo all around the walls of the room. Unable to take it, he shakily helped her to her feet, then dropped the young woman's hand as soon as he could- and all at once, he felt cold again. "Perhaps there should be some safety precautions taken then... or a ban placed upon him."

Lien huffed and rolled her eyes as she tossed a Pokeball and returned her Snorlax. "I wish. Thing is, this idiot is one of the most respected Pokemon researchers there is. So if I ban him, there'll be hell to pay over here, and that's just one headache that I don't want to deal with right now. I mean, after that whole mess with that one guy trying to revive Team Flare..." she shook her head. "More than I want to deal with. It's already bad enough as it is having to deal with Lumiose and it's ginormous ego. I don't want to have to deal with Pokemon scientists and their ginormous egos too. Especially if Professor Jones leads them." then, as if remembering herself, she looked over his shoulder and looked him over with a critical eye. Despite his being used to this, Ludwig was unable to help but allow his face to flush uncomfortably under her gaze; there was just something about it that was more than simply a once-over. Her brow furrowed slightly as she tilted her head. "Ah... You're Gilbert's little brother, aren't you? The Fighting Gym Leader."

Ludwig nodded, trying but failing to hide the red on his cheeks, mostly slight embarrassment from the sheer fact that Gilbert and he were related. There was no denying the Fire-type trainer's worth- he was part of the Elite 4, after all- but sometimes, Ludwig just wanted to strangle his neck. The last time he got into a case of MooMoo milk was a time that everyone wanted to forget. "Indeed. However, I hope that you are not opposed to me bringing my own team."

Lien snorted, then waved her hand. "That's fine. Battle with what you're comfortable with, right? Besides, this whole themed team thing is kinda dumb, but... well, we have to follow the rules and all. I'm sick of hearing about how Quan keeps getting swept by Ground-types because he hasn't figured out how to use something other than Pikachu on his team." she rolled her eyes, then sighed. "But enough about the idiots I'm surrounded with. What about you? You're here to apply for an Elite 4 spot, which means that I need to get up and battle, which means..." she pulled out a Pokeball, then tossed it into the air. "You have to show me what you got!"

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><p>He didn't know how it had happened. He didn't know why it had happened. Every single Pokemon he owned had been specially bred and trained for competitive battling. He had worked tirelessly for this day. He had researched deeply into her every move, strategy, and team, just to make sure that there was nothing that would surprise him. But, in the end of it all, his Scizor fell to her Lucario. It was, in every sense of the word, game over.<p>

Perhaps he had been too confident. Or perhaps he had been cut off guard by the fact that she had greeted him in the most unconventional of ways. But if Ludwig was to be honest, it was none of those things; it was his own inability to rid himself of all distractions, to concentrate solely on the battle... and not the woman across from him. Because, all throughout that battle, he had been watching her, watching the way she moved and shouted orders, and planted her feet and grinned. He was watching the way she seemed to be truly a part of her Pokemon, whether it was her Leafeon's Razor Leaf or her Snorlax's Body Slam. She had been a sort of rare gem that Ludwig could not stop watching, no matter how hard he tried, and there was no denying the beauty of her smile as she jumped into the air when his Scizor fell before her.

And thus he stood there, defeated, unable to believe what had just happened. Was this the treatment that all who came up against her received? Trying to concentrate on the battle, only to be defeated because they were too distracted watching her instead? No, it couldn't be; Gilbert had already made fun of him enough for this idea to not already settle in. It was highly inappropriate, but he couldn't deny it; he had more than just respectful feelings for his Pokemon League Champion.

"Your technique... It's amazing," Ludwig murmured as he tossed out his Pokeball to recall Scizor.

Lien blinked a few times, before smiling. There was the slightest tinge of pink to her cheeks as she recalled her Lucario. "Ah, but you're just as good, if not better. You put up one of the best fights in a long time."

"I would genuinely enjoy battling with you some more," Ludwig said, taking his time replacing the Pokeballs back onto his belt. He didn't want to leave just yet, after all.

"Well, we'll definitely have some more time to do that," Lien answered with a small laugh. "Because congratulations, you have the job!"

And then, it was as if all time stood still. He stood there, unable to move, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. He was part of the Elite 4. Despite his heavy loss against the woman before him, he had managed to somehow make it. He was on Gilbert's level now; no longer would he be forced to manage a gym. Now he was one of the five best trainers in Unova. The very thought of it sent warm tremors all throughout him.

He turned to her, unable to hide the idiotic grin forming on his features. She smiled back, giggling slightly, but he took no notice. He wanted to, needed to do something, anything. He wanted to shout, to dance, to spin around until the world disappeared and the sky never ended. He wanted to fall down and roll around in the grass fields, or climb atop his Braviary and fly to places far beyond the stars' reach. He wanted to do so much, and yet-

Her lips were soft, surprisingly so, and molded gently with his. She tasted of bamboo and ginger, with the slightest hint of cinnamon. Once again, time stood still, and it was with a hazy mind and flushed cheeks that he pulled apart from her, unable to believe what had just happened. She was flushing as well, but smiling up at him, and for the first time, he noticed the bits of gold flecks in her eyes. Unconsciously, he cupped her cheek, and leaned in to-

An aura sphere slammed into his side, sending him flying to the nearest wall. He heard Lien gasp. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found another aura sphere shining in his face, with a rather huffy Lucario standing on the other end of it, glaring down at him. In the background, he could hear Lien's laughter, and he concentrated on that as he stared right back. After a few seconds, the Pokemon seemed to decide that it had enough of intimidating the Fighting type Gym Leader for today and took a step back, causing its aura sphere to vanish. Before he had time to recover, however, Lien was upon him again, offering her hand, still laughing.

"C'mon, I think Lucario's telling us something."

He blinked twice, before letting out a laugh, taking her hand and helping himself up. "Very well then. We should continue this... tomorrow. Over dinner." the words left his mouth before he could stop them, but Lien was already nodding, not at all giving him time to take them back.

"Dinner would be great."


End file.
